Phil Hoffmann has retired but how does the SA travel pioneer plan to spend his time?

He’s travelled the world over a 35 career and he steps into retirement Phil Hoffmann shares his next chapter and top five global destinations.

Phil Hoffman of Hoffman Travel. Picture Supplied

How does South Australian travel industry pioneer Phil Hoffmann plan to spend his retirement? More travel of course.

Mr Hoffmann already has a packed schedule for 2026 and 2027, and is showing no signs of slowing down despite announcing this week he was stepping down from the travel agency he has run for the last 35 years.

Approaching his 79th birthday, Mr Hoffmann said it was the right time to hand over the reins and spend more time travelling with wife Alison, his four daughters and seven grandchildren.

“I’m in good health, I want to keep travelling with my wife, and I want to take grandchildren away. The oldest one is 16, and all of sudden you realise that they’ve grown up very quickly, and it’s now or never,” he said.

“There’s got to be a time when you hang up the boots. But I’ve had the opportunity to travel the world, and also send people around the world to satisfy their lifelong dreams and ambitions.

“Over the 35 years of Phil Hoffmann Travel we have certainly had a lot of clients who have been with us, virtually every year travelling – not only clients, but friends as well.”

Phil Hoffmann pictured with his family in 2013. Picture: Campbell Brodie

Mr Hoffmann was working as a teacher when he took his first overseas trip – a seven-week voyage through Asia – and that was the start of his love affair with cruising.

He worked for Stewart Moffat Travel for 10 years before opening Phil Hoffmann Travel (PHT) with a staff of two. There are more than 160 staff today, with 10 branches across South Australia.

But it hasn’t always been smooth sailing.

PHT has overcome wars, disease outbreaks and other disruptions to global travel over the years, but Mr Hoffmann says Covid-19 was by far the biggest challenge he faced during his career in the travel industry, when he was forced to downsize his team and make significant cuts in order to survive the border closures that brought global travel to a standstill.

“That’s probably the most difficult mountain we had to climb over the years,” he said.

“Going through SARS, the Bali bombings, September 11, GFC – if you added all those up, nothing compared to Covid because Covid was the world closing down, whereas some of those other events were an area, a destination or a small period of time.”

Phil Hoffman after announcing his retirement. Picture Mark Brake

Phil Hoffmann during the early years of PHT. Picture File

With global travel back with a bang, and the cruise industry front and centre in the resurgence as baby boomers look to make up for lost time, Mr Hoffmann is ready to pack his bags for a busy schedule of touring.

Despite stepping away from the day-to-day operations of PHT, he retains an ambassadorial role, leading tours and continuing to advocate for PHT and the travel industry.

Cruises around Antarctica, Croatia, the Greek Islands and Arnhem Land are all planned for next year, followed by a cruise through the ‘5 Stans’ – Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan – in 2027.

A family trip to Kenya and Tanzania is also on the cards.

Phil Hoffman puts his feet up with his grandchildren Hugo Gale, 10, and Eliza Gale, 8. Picture Mark Brake

Looking back on his favourite destinations, Mr Hoffmann says it’s like trying to choose your favourite child, but cruising through Canada and Alaska is a stand-out.

He will remain on the board of PHT and retains a 10 per cent stake in the company after selling a 40 per cent share to ASX-listed travel company Helloworld in 2023.

The company’s chief executive Peter Williams, who has worked at PHT for 32 years, owns the other 50 per cent, and will continue to lead the business.

Phil Hoffmann and wife Alison at the Amsterdam flower markets. Picture: Supplied

Phil Hoffman of Hoffman Travel. Picture Supplied

Mr Hoffmann says he’s leaving the company in good hands.

“This truly has been the adventure of a lifetime, and I’m incredibly proud of this company and what we have achieved,” he said.

“Now is the time for a new chapter. Phil Hoffmann Travel is in the very best hands and I look forward to watching it continue to thrive and grow, while helping South Australians to create memories for a lifetime.”

Phil Hoffmann’s top 5 travel destinations

Canada and Alaska

“The sheer beauty of Canada and the Rockies, and then Alaska’s exciting outback territory – a lot of it primitive in some ways, but magnificent in other ways, in terms of beauty as well. There’s something exciting about going to Alaska. It’s something special.”

Canada and Alaska top Phil Hoffmann’s list of top travel destinations.

Cruising the Mediterranean

“Not so much the main ports, but the little unknown ones, cruising through the Med and enjoying it in the summer. Eating in some of the tavernas, and just the way they enjoy life – there’s something nice about it, especially with the warm weather and the beautiful waters. Just turning off and relaxing.”

Paleokastritsa on Corfu island, Greece.

Turkey

“Because it’s so many eras of civilisation, it’s probably one of the most open air museums of attractions you can see anywhere in the world. The Turkish people, food and the pure experience of being in a country that’s half in Asia and half in Europe, whether it’s Cappadocia, Bodrum, Izmir, Antalya or Istanbul itself. And of course Gallipoli, where I’ve been five or six times as well.”

Istanbul at sunset is one of Phil Hoffmann’s favourite destinations.

Croatia and Slovenia

“Croatia and Slovenia are my late discoveries – I’ve got Croatian friends who have taken me there to experience the land, the sea and the Croatian islands, and I’ve fallen in love with it. And then getting up to Slovenia and seeing Ljubljana – one of the most beautiful European cities you’ve ever come across, right at the foothills of the Alps – and Lake Bled.”

Ljubljana – the capital city of Slovenia – is one of Phil Hoffmann’s favourite European cities.

Lapland and Norway

Traditional red wooden houses on the shore of Offersoystraumen fjord with Northern Lights.

“Getting out and doing snowmobiling, dog sledding, reindeer riding, seeing Father Christmas’s house – all of that and then seeing the Northern Lights, sleeping in an igloo and then jumping on a beautiful Viking ship, through the Norwegian fjords into London out of Bergen – it’s a wonderful experience and a unique destination.”

Originally published as Phil Hoffmann has retired but how does the SA travel pioneer plan to spend his time?